I agree with the sentiment, but roleplay doesn't need to be a chore! In MMO's, a place where text involvement isn't necessarily the core focus of the gameplay, we have to exercise ourselves to becoming better roleplayers on games! A few tips to keep in mind:
1: When in doubt, local. Honestly unless you're screaming for someone it's not very useful to do anything but. Does that mean to roleplay in battle? Perhaps not. Does that mean voice is useless? Of course not. But in the basest terms, local is the way to go if not a community shell.
2: It's okay that you're short for words. When a roleplayers looks at a situation it usually sums up everything into text and then presents it. In an environment that doesn't allow you to effect the setting, you're SOL. But that also means you're safe. Think about it, how are you conversations carried in real life? In real time, with real interruption, and with very little to actually say until you have an opinion. Being short on words or humble is not devaluing roleplay, it is applying it accurately to your situation at hand.
3: Roleplay all the time. I mean, in parties with other people, with strangers in public, with NPCs even if you're just greeting them. Chances are people don't know you're a pile of crap behind that monitor. They can't determine if you're an evil shallow minded heartless son of a bitch any further than they could determine if you're male or female, much less the size of your body parts. If you always act as your character, the only criticisms will be upon your character. Being in the habit usually helps you have a mindset. Business is business such as leveling, and the rest of the time you're on stage. If Broadway can do it three times a day, six days a week, then so can you.
4: Battle roleplay has it's places. I typically imagine myself fighting something in front of me as a Gladiator because I'm weird. But this also brings to mind that when you TP is recharging and you're not doing anything but stabbing something, throw in a shout or statement, don't let yourself get dragged down by the system of it. You're here to experience what they do. Amongst other roleplayers, you'll find friends, and amongst other players who don't, they'll get a laugh out of it. Rule three helps you in this case.
5: Case by case would be easy if you could tell people were acting, wouldn't it? But in the game world people are either there to conduct business as usual, or business as dramatic, and splitting the two isn't usually acceptable because as a player, you're meeting the needs of other players as a team focus. This is easy. Continue as planned, but if they ask you something, give it to them straight. Everyone enjoys different things at different rates.
I'd mention more, but I'd think roleplayers are capable of managing their own time and behavior enough not to self destruct on the matter. Remember, as an individual people aren't inclined to be helpful at all. Establishing who you are as an individual, then letting that go, is how you live happily in a world full of jerks. :D
Hope this was helpful.
1: When in doubt, local. Honestly unless you're screaming for someone it's not very useful to do anything but. Does that mean to roleplay in battle? Perhaps not. Does that mean voice is useless? Of course not. But in the basest terms, local is the way to go if not a community shell.
2: It's okay that you're short for words. When a roleplayers looks at a situation it usually sums up everything into text and then presents it. In an environment that doesn't allow you to effect the setting, you're SOL. But that also means you're safe. Think about it, how are you conversations carried in real life? In real time, with real interruption, and with very little to actually say until you have an opinion. Being short on words or humble is not devaluing roleplay, it is applying it accurately to your situation at hand.
3: Roleplay all the time. I mean, in parties with other people, with strangers in public, with NPCs even if you're just greeting them. Chances are people don't know you're a pile of crap behind that monitor. They can't determine if you're an evil shallow minded heartless son of a bitch any further than they could determine if you're male or female, much less the size of your body parts. If you always act as your character, the only criticisms will be upon your character. Being in the habit usually helps you have a mindset. Business is business such as leveling, and the rest of the time you're on stage. If Broadway can do it three times a day, six days a week, then so can you.
4: Battle roleplay has it's places. I typically imagine myself fighting something in front of me as a Gladiator because I'm weird. But this also brings to mind that when you TP is recharging and you're not doing anything but stabbing something, throw in a shout or statement, don't let yourself get dragged down by the system of it. You're here to experience what they do. Amongst other roleplayers, you'll find friends, and amongst other players who don't, they'll get a laugh out of it. Rule three helps you in this case.
5: Case by case would be easy if you could tell people were acting, wouldn't it? But in the game world people are either there to conduct business as usual, or business as dramatic, and splitting the two isn't usually acceptable because as a player, you're meeting the needs of other players as a team focus. This is easy. Continue as planned, but if they ask you something, give it to them straight. Everyone enjoys different things at different rates.
I'd mention more, but I'd think roleplayers are capable of managing their own time and behavior enough not to self destruct on the matter. Remember, as an individual people aren't inclined to be helpful at all. Establishing who you are as an individual, then letting that go, is how you live happily in a world full of jerks. :D
Hope this was helpful.
